Blood Pressure and Driving - Inconclusive Tests

A very small study has recently been completed to see if blood pressure is raised by driving.

The objective is to determine if the length of time spent driving on various terrains affects the driver's blood pressure, causing it to go up or down. Could stress caused by driving cause an increase in blood pressure as time spent driving increases and what would be the effect on blood pressure with different terrains?

The tests were done during urban driving and repeated for extreme off road action.

Equipment, Materials and Methods

For both tests the vehicle was a top of the range SUV - a Land Rover Discovery - which it was hoped would give drivers an increased degree of comfort and security so as not to affect the readings

Members of the Land Rovers Owners Club who responded to a post on the Land Rover Owners forum were considered to be best suited for this experiment as they were familiar not only with the vehicles used but no strangers to driving in more extreme conditions and terrains - see this video of a land rover doing what a landrover does best

Using an automatic blood pressure monitor, the blood pressure of drivers was measured at 15, 30 and 60 minute intervals while driving. Readings were repeated three times on each subject. The average blood pressure was calculated.

Disappointing Results

The data did not show a big change in blood pressure during urban driving but revealed a slight elevation when driving in more challenging conditions.

Conclusions

• There were not significant changes in the blood pressure readings of the drivers.
• The study did not support the expectation that blood pressure would go up under the stress of driving.
• It would be interesting to see if the blood pressure would change more dramatically if the tests were done during commute traffic, bad weather or with other distractions such as children in the car, blaring sound systems or mobile phone conversations were added.